


Nighttime Comfort

by Nyctae



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Self-Esteem Issues, Sharing a Bed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-09
Updated: 2020-04-09
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:28:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 2,816
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23556070
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nyctae/pseuds/Nyctae
Summary: Sometimes, it's easier to have someone next to you when you're feeling down.Alternatively, a few of the times Percy and Oliver shared a bed over the years.
Relationships: Percy Weasley & Oliver Wood, Percy Weasley/Oliver Wood
Comments: 7
Kudos: 284





	1. Fourth Year - 1991

It was the third time that week that Percy was awake past one in the morning. He scribbled DADA notes furiously and let out the occasional frustrated huff.

Oliver couldn’t understand why Percy did this to himself. O.W.L.s weren’t for another year, and it wouldn’t be the end of the world if Percy didn’t always get perfect marks.

“Perce, come here.” Thankfully, the scribbling stopped. Percy slowly made his way over to Oliver’s bed and sat down. He let out a surprised squawk as Oliver pulled him down on the bed.

“What the hell?”

“That’s the first time I’ve heard you swear. Now, go to bed. I’m tired of listening to you get upset over notes,” Oliver mumbled into his pillow.

“I can’t sleep in my uniform!”

“Yeah you can. It’s easy, just close your eyes.”

“No, that’s disgusting,” Percy argued, trying to wriggle his way out of Oliver’s grasp.

He slowly let go of his friend. “Then get into pyjamas and come back to bed. You need sleep, and I want to sleep.”

Oliver could feel Percy roll his eyes and bitterly mumble to himself while he pulled on pyjamas. He meticulously folded his uniform and placed it neatly on his made bed before pausing.

It was clear that Oliver needed to get Percy to lie down, or he’d just go back to his detrimental routine. “You gonna come back or what?”

With a nod, Percy approached the bed, and Oliver rolled closer to the wall to give him some room. They weren’t too tall, so they fit relatively well on the bed. Though, their limbs occasionally got tangled during the night.


	2. Fifth Year - 1991

Oliver lied on his bed with his face in the pillows. Perhaps if he hoped enough, the pillows would just swallow him up, and then he wouldn’t have to deal with any more problems. He hadn’t checked in a while, but he was pretty sure it was still dinner time. He had decided to skip due to the tumultuous feelings, weighing his stomach down like a tonne of bricks.

Suddenly, the door swung open, and his roommate entered. He heard quiet scuffling before a weight shifted the mattress; a warm hand rested on his back.

“Oliver? What’s wrong?” Percy asked. He didn’t bother masking the growing concern in his voice. He merely received an incoherent mumble in response. He tried again, “You missed dinner, and I’m guessing you stayed like this while I was in the library too… Do you want to talk about it?”

Percy took the vague head movement Oliver made as a no. Good thing he had another tactic: he began to talk to Oliver about trivial topics like his day and George and Fred’s most recent prank. He eventually succeeded in pulling Oliver out of his head, and he even got him to laugh a few times. Finally, Oliver turned his head to look at Percy.

“I’m failing transfiguration,” he admitted during a lapse of silence, “and I feel stupid because I’m awful at schoolwork, and I’m not even that great at Quidditch or anything to make up for it.”

“Hey, it’s okay, Oliver,” Percy hastily said, trying to quell the tears forming in his friend’s eyes. “Failing transfiguration isn’t the end of the world-”

“That’s not the whole issue! It’s what it means. It means I’m stupid, Perce. Plain and simple, I’m stupid and bad at school,” Oliver ground his teeth together, trying to slow his breathing.

Percy sighed and gently rubbed his shoulder. “Do you remember what you have to tell me all the time?”

A shrug.

He continued, “You always have to remind me that I do not need and should not try to be perfect. I should just be Percy. You don’t need to be perfect, Oliver. You may need help with transfiguration, and if you want, I can try to help you study for other classes too.”

Oliver paused with a groan, trying to figure out how to phrase his feelings. “But school’s not the only problem. I’m not trying to be perfect. I’m just trying to not fail everything. I know I’m bad at schoolwork, but like I clearly can’t do well at Quidditch either. We just lost  _ another _ match.”

“You’re a great Quidditch player.” He lightly smacked Oliver’s shoulder. “And I would know. I suffer through all of your matches, just for you,” he teased.

Oliver rolled his eyes with a slight smile. “I’m not that good. If I were, we wouldn’t be losing so much.”

“Quidditch is a team sport. It’s not just about you doing well. One bad Quidditch season isn’t the end of the world either.”

“I guess…” Oliver relented, knowing Percy wouldn’t give up the argument. “So, would you really help me with transfiguration?” He sighed in relief when his friend nodded. “Oh, thank, Merlin. You are the best. Have I ever mentioned that?”

“Yes, you do every time I agree to help you study, but how about we sleep now? We can study tomorrow.”

Oliver began to chuckle, “Percy Weasley asking to put off studying? I never thought I’d live to see the day.”

Percy flicked the lamp switch, darkening the room as he lied down. “Oh, shush. I’m tired, and I’m sure you are too. I figured you wouldn’t mind resting first.”

“Nah, I’m good with this. Thanks by the way. I really mean it when I say you’re the best.”

“So are you. Now, get some sleep, you sap,” Percy commanded.

Oliver nodded with a smile, closing his eyes.


	3. Sixth Year - 1993

It was well past two in the morning, and Percy was pacing around the room. Silently, of course, he didn’t want to wake his roommate up. He chewed on the nail of his thumb—a habit he thought he had beaten long ago.

He was terrified. Several students had been petrified: Colin Creevey, Justin Finch-Fletchley, and now Hermione Granger and Penelope Clearwater. It was a miracle no one had died yet. 

But what if someone did? How would that affect him? Would he be told to stop performing typical prefect duties? Would it affect his chances of being Head Boy? He immediately wanted to punch himself for that thought. He was worried about Head Boy when students’ lives were at risk. Granted, he wasn’t in much control of his panicking thoughts, and this was just the beginning of the spiral.

Soon, his mind began to torture him further, replacing thoughts causing guilt with thoughts causing fear. What if someone even closer to him got petrified or even killed? What if it were one of the twins, Ron, or Ginny? He was good friends with Penelope and thought of Hermione as a friend, but family was different. 

He argued with his brain that he shouldn’t make priorities. He was a prefect; he needed to do all he could to protect all the students. Everyone who gets petrified is important. Percy’s not the only one with close friends and family.

Too much energy coursed through him. He should be doing something instead of just pointlessly pacing around the confines of his room, but there isn’t much to do in the dead of night. He would be even more useless if he was petrified.

His bed creaked and groaned as he sat on it with a sigh. He buried his hands in his hair, trying to will the thoughts in his head. What he needed was sleep. Maybe his brain would then function enough for him to actually help in this situation. He let out a miserable chuckle, knowing he wouldn’t be able to sleep when his brain was so riled up.

He wanted to cry, but he refused to let himself. He needed to stay strong. If he’s breaking down at the thought of his family being hurt, what would he do if they actually did get hurt?

Suddenly, a lamp lit the room, and Oliver sat next to him, asking, “Wanna talk about whatever’s bugging you?”

Percy swallowed and let out a shaky breath before replying, “I’m scared, Ollie. So many students have been petrified. Penelope and Hermione just got petrified, and there’s Colin and Justin. What if you get petrified or one of my siblings? What if I get petrified? What if someone dies?”

Oliver listened with a comforting hand on his shoulder as Percy rambled on about his fears and everyone who’s been petrified.

“It just makes me want to cry...” Percy’s word trailed off.

“And there’s nothing wrong with that,” Oliver said as if it were the most simple concept in the world. Maybe it was to everyone but Percy. “Do you want a hug?”

Squeezing his eyes shut, he nodded. Percy was immediately engulfed in a warm hug. He’d never admit that a few tears escaped his eyes. As the hug continued, Percy’s thoughts began to slow, and he drifted off.

He woke up to the sunlight gleaming through the window. Half his body was dangling off the edge as Oliver took up most of the room on the bed.


	4. Summer - 1993

“Hello, Oliver! It’s nice to see you again! I’m so glad Percy invited you over,” Molly greeted, taking Oliver’s coat as he entered.

“Nice to see you again too, Mrs. Weasley,” Oliver replied with a smile. “Sorry that I missed dinner. I promised to eat with my family.”

“Oh, that’s quite alright, dear! I’m sure you’ll be staying for a couple days.”

“Of course. I wouldn’t miss out on your cooking for anything. Uh, is Percy upstairs?” Oliver asked, heading towards the stairs. He knew if he didn’t escape soon, he’d be stuck talking to Molly for hours.

“He should be. He said he’d be transfiguring a mattress for you to sleep on.”

Oliver nodded as he bounded up the steps. He peered in Percy’s room to see him lying on his bed, book in hand.

“Hard transfiguration work, I see,” Oliver laughed, heading towards the bed.

“I’ll do it later, or we can just share the bed. Not like we’ve never done that before.” Percy shut his book and returned it to its proper place on the bookshelf before sitting back on his bed. “How have you been?”

“I missed you and your freckled face. You’ve been in Egypt for a month, and it’s already the end of summer,” Oliver complained dramatically.

“I can’t just not go on a family trip, Oliver, but I did miss you too. Also, we have the rest of the week, and then we’ll be at Hogwarts in a few days.”

As they cuddled and exchanged kisses, Percy told stories from his trip to Egypt, and Oliver talked about how he spent his summer relaxing. They made plans to spend time together by the pond and meet up for school shopping in Diagon Alley. They lazily watched the sunset from Percy’s bed and continued talking into the night. Eventually, they decided it would be best for them to get ready for bed and sleep.

Percy awoke to someone poking his shoulder. He glanced over at the window: it was still nighttime. He could barely see in the dark, but he could see Oliver sitting cross-legged on the bed. Percy sat up and turned on the bedside lamp.

“What’s wrong?” Percy asked, rubbing the remaining sleep from his eyes.

“Nothing, it’s stupid. Just go back to bed,” Oliver mumbled, running a shaky hand through his hair.

“I doubt it’s stupid. Talk to me about it. You’ve already woken me up.” Percy offered a small smile.

Oliver sighed, and Percy grabbed his hand, rubbing his thumb over his knuckles. They sat in silence for a few minutes before Oliver began to speak, “We’re going into seventh year, and… and I don’t know what I’m doing after. Like I want to do Quidditch, but what if I’m not good enough? I feel like I should be focusing more on schoolwork, but I wouldn’t even know what to do if I were good at schoolwork. But I don’t want to ignore Quidditch to do schoolwork in case I could get an opportunity to play professionally. Like a bad injury could take me out of playing forever! I don’t want to give up on my dreams either though. I don’t know. It’s stupid, and I’m stupid, and…” He paused to chuckle sadly. “I remember when we were first years and figuring out our lives seemed so far away, but now we’re here, and you’re just so smart, and you’ve had all of this figured out for years now.”

Percy leaned his head on the other’s shoulder. “You’re not stupid, Ollie. You definitely underestimate yourself. You’re an amazing Quidditch player. You wouldn’t be captain if you weren’t, and you’re better at schoolwork than you think. You’re better than me at Defence Against the Dark Arts, and you figure out charms quicker than anyone in the class. If you want to improve on your schoolwork, I really think you could, and I’ll help you if you want.”

“Thanks, Perce."

Percy continued, “And you still have the rest of the year to figure out what you want to do, and I’m sure you could still do work related to Quidditch even if you couldn’t play for some reason. You don’t have to just completely leave the field if you can’t play.”

Oliver nodded, kissing Percy’s cheek. “Thanks. Sorry I woke you up over this. It’s just been bothering me for a while, and you really help me calm down and keep things logical and stuff.”

Percy cut off his rambling, “Of course. Now how about we get some sleep before it becomes morning and the twins start causing a ruckus?”

Oliver nodded. Percy flicked the lamp off before lying back down—his fingers still intertwined with Oliver’s.


	5. Seventh Year - 1994

It was Percy and Oliver’s last year, and they were excited to graduate. Their lives were planned out: Percy would work at the ministry, and Oliver would join the Puddlemere United Reserve team. The end of the year was bittersweet. While they were happy about their imminent freedom, Hogwarts was their home for the past seven years.

This year had been good to them. Percy was Head Boy and helped during the break-in incidents. Oliver was captain of the Quidditch team, and Gryffindor had won the Quidditch Cup thanks to Harry (and Oliver’s intense training schedule, of course).

The end of June approached quickly. Their last week was full of parties and celebrations until it was their last night.

“So, it’s the last time we’ll be here,” Oliver said with a chuckle.

Percy nodded with a smile, looking around the bare room as he changed into pyjamas. “Yeah, it really is.”

Silence overcame the room as the two continued with their typical night routine. Before lying down, they packed up their final items. It would give more time for goodbyes.

“I’m gonna miss this,” Oliver said quietly.

Percy looked over at him, taking a break from folding his remaining clothes. “The school?”

“I mean, yeah, but I’m gonna miss the people too. The Quidditch team, Gryffindor in general, you. Hell, I might even miss classes.”

His answer led Percy into a fit of laughter. Oliver crossed his arms in mock upset. “And why are you laughing?” he asked, slowly approaching Percy.

“You? Missing classes?” Percy questioned with a snicker.

“Are you mocking me, Weasley?” Oliver asked as he began to prod his boyfriend’s sides. Percy—the most ticklish of his family—shrieked and begged Oliver to stop, promising to never mock him again.

To Percy’s relief, the torment ceased when Oliver yawned.

“Time for bed?”

Oliver nodded, throwing some unpacked clothes into his trunk before climbing into bed. Percy finished folding his clothes and turned off the light before lying down in his bed.

It took only a few minutes for Oliver to break the silence, “Come here.”

“Why? Is something wrong?” Percy asked, flicking the lamp on.

“We’ve shared a bed a bunch of times over the years, and this is the last time we’ll get to do that here,” Oliver responded, shifting closer to the wall, “Now come here.”

Percy rolled his eyes and flicked the lamp off again before lying mostly on top of Oliver. “Better?” He received a content hum in response.

The silence was broken after a few moments by Oliver again. “Aren’t you sad that we’ll never do this again? We’ll never be squished, trying to fit on a tiny Hogwarts bed together!”

Percy sighed and responded, “You realise we’re gonna live together, right? I’ll be sleeping next to you in a bed that we actually both fit in, and if, for whatever reason, you want to be squished in a bed so much, we’ll go visit the Burrow. Now stop being a sap and go to sleep.”

“Alright, alright. Good night, Percy.” Oliver turned towards Percy with a smile and gave him a quick kiss. 

“Good night, Oliver.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Hope you enjoyed my second Perciver fic. Criticism is always appreciated  
> Check me out on Instagram: [@vi.nyctae](https://www.instagram.com/vi.nyctae/?hl=en)


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